ExpandCollapse

1947-2014 (Archived)

ਖਿੰਥਾ ਕਾਲੁ ਕੁਆਰੀ ਕਾਇਆ ਜੁਗਤਿ ਡੰਡਾ ਪਰਤੀਤਿ ॥
khinthhaa kaal kuaaree kaaeiaa jugath ddanddaa paratheeth ||
Let the remembrance of death be the patched coat you wear, let the purity of virginity be your way in the world, and let faith in the Lord be your walking stick.

I think you are saying that the English translation may not be correct; Sikh80 ji giving only the English. Just clarifying the question -- because the original comment is a few postings away from your question.

ExpandCollapse

1947-2014 (Archived)

Well I am ready. Maybe others will reply first. Brief response is: That the translation in correct in concept, but the translator has the problem of all translators. How to make sense of the line in a way that captures the intent of Guru Nanak in the context of the shabad; is as poetic in translation as it is in the original; and makes sense in English.

Let the remembrance of death be the patched coat you wear, let the purity of virginity be your way in the world, and let faith in the Lord be your walking stick. Sahib Singh Khalsa

The thought of death; aspiration of the bride to be; and faith in the Lord be your walking stick. Gopal Singh

Let thought of death be thy patched coat, chastity like that of virgin's body, thy life's department and faith in God thy staff. Bhai Manmohan Singh.
Wear the fear of death as your coat (made of patches), make chastity like that of a virgin, your path to achieve union and faith in God as your walking stick. Harbhans Singh Doabia

Not only are all translations embellishments of the original 7 words, but there are important differences in meaning because the grammatical constructions are not the same. E.G. In two of them the thought of death, the virginal state of the bride to be, and faith in God are to be considered like a staff or walking stick, our support. And 2 others only faith in God is compared to a staff or walking stick, our support.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
But let's see what happens. What the members who are learned have to say.

ExpandCollapse

SPN Sewadaar

ਖਿੰਥਾ ਕਾਲੁ ਕੁਆਰੀ ਕਾਇਆ ਜੁਗਤਿ ਡੰਡਾ ਪਰਤੀਤਿ ॥
khinthhaa kaal kuaaree kaaeiaa jugath ddanddaa paratheeth ||
Let the remembrance of death be the patched coat you wear, let the purity of virginity be your way in the world, and let faith in the Lord be your walking stick.

I think you are saying that the English translation may not be correct; Sikh80 ji giving only the English. Just clarifying the question -- because the original comment is a few postings away from your question.

Click to expand...

I don't think this Shabad is talking about physical virginity? waht do others think? I would also like to see entire Angs and not one or two lines.

I would also question whether "Kaam" means sexual desire. Sexual desire is a natural phenomenen put in our bodies to ensure we procreate and continue future genrations. If we say sexual desire is the problem, then even our Guru's procreated, then they must be imperfect. Kaam I would say is an OBSESSION with wanting sex. Letting the desire to procreate taint your mind and make decisiopns for you. It leads you rather than you lead it. Any thoughts on this?

ExpandCollapse

1947-2014 (Archived)

Randip, I agree. Something very subtle is being said in the shabad, that none of the translators managed to convey.

Guru ji is saying, Cover or May you cover yourself with the coat of death (loss of ego), Let purity or chastity of character be your yoga (your way of connecting with the world), Make belief in God your support, your walking stick.

I see the phrasing the way I do because it is in Pauree 28 and that phrasing matches other phrasing in the pauree. It fits with the earlier line - Let humility be your begging bowl, etc. Also some of the Punjabi words, for example, jugath, have several levels of meaning. Jugath can mean yoga, but also means making a connection. Other constructions of words are more like metaphors. kuaaree means virgin and kaaeiaa means body. Together they seem to say body of a virgin, but in context Guruji is talking about spiritual qualities. I don't think Guruji is saying Have the body of a virgin, but have the chastity of mind, a virginal lmind. khinthhaa means overcoat. Kaal means death or ending, but not the same sense of death as mar or maraan. Kaal is more like a personal ending, not death as a phenomenon (mar), so when you cover yourself with death your ego dies or ends.

ExpandCollapse

SPN Sewadaar

Randip, I agree. Something very subtle is being said in the shabad, that none of the translators managed to convey.

Guru ji is saying, Cover or May you cover yourself with the coat of death (loss of ego), Let purity or chastity of character be your yoga (your way of connecting with the world), Make belief in God your support, your walking stick.

I see the phrasing the way I do because it is in Pauree 28 and that phrasing matches other phrasing in the pauree. It fits with the earlier line - Let humility be your begging bowl, etc. Also some of the Punjabi words, for example, jugath, have several levels of meaning. Jugath can mean yoga, but also means making a connection. Other constructions of words are more like metaphors. kuaaree means virgin and kaaeiaa means body. Together they seem to say body of a virgin, but in context Guruji is talking about spiritual qualities. I don't think Guruji is saying Have the body of a virgin, but have the chastity of mind, a virginal lmind. khinthhaa means overcoat. Kaal means death or ending, but not the same sense of death as mar or maraan. Kaal is more like a personal ending, not death as a phenomenon (mar), so when you cover yourself with death your ego dies or ends.

About Us

Our community has been around for many years and pride ourselves on offering unbiased, critical discussion among people of all different backgrounds. We are working every day to make sure our community is one of the best.

Like us on Facebook

Support SPN

The management works very hard to make sure the community is running the best software, best designs, and all the other bells and whistles. We'd really appreciate your support!